Out of the Frying Pan, Into the Fire
by Bourgeois Babe
Summary: Post-RE2, Pre-CV. Leon, Claire, and Sherry are out of Raccoon City, the place that changed their lives forever, and still have to plan out what's to come in the future. Meanwhile, Leon develops more feelings towards Claire than he should, and Claire striv


For being heartless bastards, Umbrella sure knew how to take care of themselves. With the luxuries on the safety shuttle out of the city, that was the conclusion that Leon came to while going through the drawers beneath the benches. Blankets…food reserves…barrels of water…the three of them could live on the shuttle for a month at least with the amount of stuff Umbrella was sure to pack. Yet, with the dirty fossils they had excavated out of the depths of Raccoon City, Leon was a bit apprehensive to trust anything that Umbrella supplied. However, he'd have to forget about that for just a little while until they got to the neighboring town. Pulling out a blanket from beneath the seat, he spread it out over the small sleeping figure on the bench and sat down on the cold steel floor.

And once Sherry was asleep, Claire did something Leon wouldn't have expected her to do. She just leaned over, her elbows on her knees, and started to cry. Though, he didn't blame her. That…place…had been the most horrific thing he'd ever seen. Umbrella had mutated beings into monsters- puppeteers to the lifeless marionettes- and caused them to feel more hurt than a bullet could ever inflict. He decided against cutting in, and comforting her wouldn't be the best thing to do as mere strangers. But somehow, Leon felt like he knew Claire more than that, for some reason. When you go through an experience like the outbreak knowing that someone will meet you out on the other side, you start to feel like you depend on that person like you would a long time friend. Who knows…maybe if Claire had been in Ada's place, he would have felt as strong as attraction to the brunette as he did to the raven haired woman. 

Ada…a sacrifice. A snitch. A rose- beautiful, but deadly. Maybe it was better like this- to not know her as well as he had wanted to so parting ways wouldn't be so hard. And as reckless as she was, he couldn't have covered her all the time. His shoulder burned and itched and ached him all at the same time- like the effects of the shot ricocheted about his body relentlessly. The sting from the medical spray Claire had applied earlier faded, but the tight bandages still caused discomfort. Yet, the gentle lullaby of the shuttle against the train tracks was soothing, and once he closed his eyes, he could almost imagine that his pain was gone. Yet Claire's soft cry was keeping him awake.

"Are you okay?" he asked finally, opening his blue eyes to look towards her. Maybe he shouldn't have been so harsh…he could tell by the way that she looked back at him with eyes all red in sorrow that he could have been a little more comforting. Maybe now was the time for comfort…maybe it wasn't too soon. His arm, which had been resting upon the bench she was sitting on, moved slightly so he could touch her arm, trying to get her attention. "…you don't have to cry, y'know…"

It was a stupid thing to say. You don't have to cry? Leon wanted to cry, but he'd learned to control his feelings back in basic training. He cursed himself inwardly for being so horrible with women. He'd never been good with them, even though many said he was good looking, and he seemed to end up saying the wrong thing at the wrong time in the wrong phrasing. But somehow, with that younger woman sitting there with him, her face drenched with tears, sweat, and dirt, he didn't need to say anything. All she really wanted was someone by her side. He didn't say anything else, and she didn't say much more in return.

"Thank you…" was all she said, brushing off her stuck pieces of hair from her face, smearing the messy marks of blood and dirt across her cheek, then turned away from her. He watched her for a little while, then brought his arm back and waited for the ride to finish up. They'd be in Subtle Ridge soon, so said the escape map, and it would be time to get a room and see what would happen next. For one thing, he wanted to investigate all of this conspiracy further, which would take some investigation and rest time, and make sure Sherry and Claire were on their way alright. But that'd be for him to worry about later. When they were in complete safety. Even on the train, he kept his berretta close at hand, at his belt, just incase a rogue licker or a lucky zombie attached itself to the roof and decided to come down and attack them. It was his job to keep the girls safe as the Rookie Cop of the RPD, but also as Leon S. Kennedy, Mr. Heroic-extraordinaire.

By the time the shuttle came to a halt, Leon had collected all of the supplies he could into two duffle bags and prepared himself as well as he could, just in case. Hopefully, this town hadn't been hit, if the whole world had been. Or maybe no one else had been infected. Maybe it was just Raccoon City, and they were destined to bring along the virus unknowingly. Claire and Sherry were still sleeping, so once the shuttle was completely stopped a little ways off from Subtle Ridge, he went about to check and make certain no extra passengers were aboard and unaccounted for. 

Upon stepping out, he was glad to see something familiar. A blue sky…green grass beneath his feet…and best of all- no monsters or walking dead in sight. After he took in a deep breath of fresh air, the tall rookie cop made the rounds about the yellow train shuttle vehicle, checking below the wheels and the underside, his pistol prepped, and on the top and sides. Nothing. Thank goodness. He didn't want anyone having to know this fear- feeling like you're not really alive because the majority is walking dead. He didn't want anyone having to suffer like Sherry, or missing siblings like Claire. He didn't want anyone to have to survive, but live. 

"Oh, Leon…there you are. You could have woken me up. I would have helped prepare with you to go out to town," Claire's voice sounded clearly as he leaned over the front of the engine. Nothing there, either. Surprisingly, Leon's jumpiness was gone, so her voice was welcome to him and he didn't point his weapon at the source of the sound. All he did was shut the shuttle engine to a close, look over to Claire, and smile for the first time in what seemed like years but had only been days.

"Thanks…but I thought I might let the two of you sleep. You've had a rough night." The way he said it made it feel like they'd been in a car wreck and had to wait up all night for the tow truck. But oh, was that feeling wrong. Maybe it was the peaceful surroundings that made him feel more comfortable. Maybe it was seeing Claire's face rested and clean in the morning. Maybe it was just seeing Claire. He stretched, looking towards the forest they'd passed, which kept Raccoon City in a bundle away from the rest of the world, and let his mind wander again. What if the undead walked all the way through the forest to the town? Though, the life expectancy was only a month…how long would it take for them to pass through? Not for him to think about…not with his head pounding like it was.

She dropped down onto the ground, bending her knees into the fall, and tossed the two duffels on the soft grass. "Sherry will be out in a little bit…she's just cleaning up." It was her turn to notice the calmness of the surrounding area, but she smartly refrained from cutting loose. However, she did smile a little wider, and laughed a bit. And that laugh…was infectious. Leon laughed a little, too, somehow understanding why she was snickering when anyone else would have wondered if she was a mental institution-escapee. They were happy to be alive. And it was a funny feeling. At least, that's why he was laughing with her. Maybe she was laughing at something else, but he guessed it was the same as she made a slight spin with her arms extended out in freedom.

"What are you- an airplane?" he criticized playfully. She gave him a sideways smirk at this- the first human-like attribute Leon Kennedy displayed, and approached him. Without a second thought, the young woman lifted his arms up from their straightened position, forming him the same way she'd been just a little while ago. That smile again. That smile was…gorgeous. Cute. Smart. But that wasn't something he should be thinking about right now, should it? Or was it a time to be glad to be alive, to think things were beautiful and appreciate them? "Well, now you can be one, too," Claire explained, turning to go back to the door. 

He wanted to, as much as he shouldn't, speed up and wrap his arms around her. There was something about optimism that he needed, like a zombie to flesh. He needed to feel okay with everything, especially now, with everything that had happened back in Raccoon City. And if he could just put his arms around her, close his eyes, and feel her close to him, he'd be a happy man. ….yet…they'd only known one another for at least a day, and that kind of interaction was frowned upon by anyone, if not his own morals. So he didn't. He waited for her to climb back on to get Sherry, as he assumed she would, and grabbed the two duffels in the grass. Grass! He was still excited to be alive…still excited to see green rather than the colors of brown and dank red that he thought to be doomed to see for the remainder of his life.

She returned just about as quickly as she'd left, toting a giggling Sherry at her side, laughing herself. Leon took in this sight with a fading smile. Sherry- who had probably been through more emotional hell than he and Claire had put together- was laughing. She was letting go and laughing. But, of course, Leon couldn't do that. The pains in his shoulder and the jab of his berretta in his waist reminded him he couldn't. He was Leon S. Kennedy, and it was his duty to get these ladies to safety. But for Sherry's sake…maybe he'd lighten up a little. Claire had done a good job turning his adamant personality to mush. Maybe it was time to let go…just for a little while.

The rookie cop bent down for a moment, handing off one of the duffels to Claire in exchange for the girl, and hoisted the tiny framed thing onto him in a piggy-back. And then he realized how much that hurt. But she was laughing…having fun…and a little pain wouldn't kill him. "Okay, Sherry…let's race Claire- I bet we can beat her in a race to the city." He smiled to the other brunette, the young woman looking back with a lifted eyebrow and a 'what the hell kind of challenge is that' look.

"Okay, then…but I won't go easy on you because you have more baggage, Kennedy." That smile again…Leon could easily lose to that smile. The next few days were going to be interesting- trying to keep himself at bay from this girl. It wasn't his place to try anything, even though lately, he'd been thinking it might be a good idea. That was just his hormones talking, however. But it wasn't like he could make a move, anyways. It was more likely that he'd end up skipping over his words and get himself into a deeper hole than he was before. He watched her get on her 'starting blocks', a duffel in hand as he had, and he stepped back a little to prepare himself. If this was anything like back at training camp, then he'd win. He'd always been a fast runner and a good shot, not to mention a talent in hand to hand. Claire had none of this, but she'd gotten through Raccoon City without a scratch. Leon, on the other hand, had a bullet in his shoulder that was hurting more with the blonde's weight on him than before.

"Go!" Sherry shouted, grasping Leon around the forehead when he started to run. His strides were long; Claire's were shorter. Yet, somehow, she was beating him. She was more efficient…but he couldn't let her win…and he couldn't use the weight or pain excuse with Claire. The winning runner glanced back at Leon, laughing a bit, then asked amidst their hard breaths, "So, what do I get for winning?"

"Who said you were…huff…huff…winning?! Loser has to sleep on the floor at the hotel!" he called back, trying to kick through his shoulder pain to get up to where she was. The long strides paid off, for he was soon side by side with her. She looked upon him in surprise, pushing herself further to get to the nearing town faster. The shuttle was getting smaller and smaller by the moment…and the cityscape before them, larger. He didn't think that there could be anyone infected in such a safe haven…a place they'd worked so hard to get to. What awaited them there? What would they say? What would anyone ask?

He cursed being a gentleman inwardly…he would sleep on the floor- the ladies would get the comfortable places again. There was no way that Claire, with her beautiful face and happy outlook, was going to sleep on the cold, uninviting floor. That just wasn't how it worked. He 'misstepped on accident' purposely, slipping into second as Claire's foot touched the first paved road they'd seen uninhabited by monsters in a day…

The both slowed down considerably, Claire laughing in victory, but Leon secretly knowing why she'd won. But there was no way he'd say anything about his 'misstep' to Claire; he didn't want to break her pride. With a sigh, Leon helped Sherry off his shoulders in relief, rolling his shoulder painfully a few times without being noticed. "Gee, Leon…you let Sherry down," commented Claire jokingly, patting him on the back. Leon laughed, and Sherry did, too. But it didn't matter…letting her down or not, they were still having fun. It would dull the pain, just in case this place was infested or deserted as well.

They walked all the way out of the suburbs, which were unsurprisingly empty, seeing how it was probably still too early on a Saturday morning for anything to be going on. Though, signs of life- cars still parked in their rightful places. Sprinklers still running on the lawns and flowers. No fires…no screaming…no walking dead thus far. But it wasn't over just yet. Once into the main town of Subtle Ridge, population 200 or less, they found something amazing to their eyes…a car being driven with blinkers and obeying traffic laws! It was, to Leon's joy, not infected. 

"Let's go there…I'm starving," Leon suggested, pointing to a small restaurant/café that seemed to be bustling with people, even in the early hours of the morning. Sherry started up a little quicker to the place, excited at the suggestion of food that wasn't Umbrella Rations, and to the people that weren't living dead. Leon smiled gently to this, for he was happy at their good savior as well. Claire looked towards him with her happy grin to concur with his mind- they were all glad. "Let's hurry- we don't know what kind of people are in there…" he added, speeding up his pace while digging through his standard issue cargo pants for his badge. He didn't want them to get into trouble for having weapons- being a cop gave him special privileges.

Upon entering, they found that Sherry had already made herself at home by getting them a table in the middle, looking through the menu with interest. Leon felt so hungry that he could order all of the dishes and still have room for more, but of course, his funds suggested otherwise. He had enough left over from his starting bonus with the RPD to buy a big breakfast for all of them, but nothing spectacular. They sat down- Claire next to Sherry with Leon on the other side with the bench to himself, and started glancing up and down at the menus. "…pancakes…waffles…bacon…sausage…French Toast…eggs…biscuits and gravy…omelets…" he named off, nearly salivating at the delicious foods proclaimed on the breakfast portion. "What do you two want?"

"Anything?"

"Anything."

"What about some bacon and eggs?"

"Do you want some coffee, too?"

"Leon, she's twelve. Kids don't drink coffee."

"So, that means that we're getting one coffee and two orange juices, hm?"

"Leon…I'll take some coffee…"

"I thought you said kids don't drink coff- ow! Geez, Claire…you have a really hard punch…okay, okay. What do you want to eat?"

"I'll take some pancakes."

"How many? Twelve- ow! Okay, okay, Claire, enough punching…four pancakes for the hungry lady…bacon and eggs for Sherry…and two omelets, toast, and sausage for me."

"…"

"What?"

"That's a lot of food. Are you sure you can eat that, Rookie?"

"Hey, I'm a cop at the RPD, and just because I'm new doesn't mean you can call me a rookie whenever you want to."

Their conversation had caught the ear of two sitting next to them. A tall, short haired blonde woman and a black haired, muscular man. They leant in, turning from their booth to look at Leon, Claire, and Sherry with interest. "You are…police officer?" the blonde woman asked, her voice hinting at French decent and English as a second language. The tall man finished her sentence. "In Raccoon City…?"

Leon lifted a hand to call a waitress over, looking to the other two as they caught his attention. "Leon S. Kennedy…the last addition to the Raccoon City Police Department. And you two are…?" he introduced, putting his call hand out for a shake. The blonde woman took it first, then the man accompanying her. "My name is Katarine Hart, and this is my husband, Richard. We were with the police department, as well…until…" she explained, until the man finished for her. "Until Umbrella happened. You see…everyone who survived is gathering here- some of us are trying to find missing people, others are forming a resistance group against Umbrella. So…you were there…like we were? How bad did it get? Are there still survivors?"

Claire orated their orders to the waitress before interjecting herself into the conversation. "The labs are gone…any survivors that could have gotten out of the city are here now, unless there are a few lucky ones that managed to escape like we did…" Leon looked over to her for a moment, then back at the couple from Raccoon City. "This is Claire Redfield…have you heard anything about a Chris Redfield? If you're with the police department, you could have known him." A nice gesture. She wouldn't have asked right off, so Leon had to do it for her. And, in any case, he was a little curious to where the STARS member had run off to and left his sister behind. She loved her brother so much…he just hoped Chris returned that devotion. Lord knew that Leon's brother wouldn't do that for him, or visa versa, or that Leon even wanted him to. His brother was an asshole, and he was better off staying out of his life.

"Redfield…? He went on a mission and never came back…right?" Richard asked his wife, then looked to the other two. "We'll call around tonight. You'll be in town for the night, won't you? You look beat- you should get some rest. There's a whole Anti-Umbrella network, or so some of the others have been saying, and we can see if there are any reports of him around. I'm sure he's safe- he was a good cop." An Anti-Umbrella network? It was a perfect opportunity. This was what Leon was hoping for- a crew of skilled cops and military workers trying to save the rest of the world from the horrors that happened in Raccoon City, and probably other places he was unaware of. He wanted to see how far Umbrella's roots lied, how far he had to dig before it was uprooted and sprayed with weed-killer.

"Thank you…we'll be getting a motel room, won't we, Leon? Why don't we take down your number and give you a call tomorrow? I'll be really interested in knowing where Chris is…" An understatement. A huge ass understatement. But there really was no other way to react, as tired and worn as she was. She was just glad that she might see him again…and if their information didn't come, then it wouldn't bother her. She'd become numb to the fact that she kept losing his trail, and her hopes were fleeting. Yet, like the whole incident in Raccoon City, just sticking in there and not giving up was enough to prevail. And she'd find Chris one day- with courage and conviction.

Leon etched down their number on a napkin and stuffed it safely in his pocket, smiling as a way to end the conversation, and turned back to the rest of the group. Sherry was silent as she most always was, and Leon couldn't blame her. She was traumatized, and being with the two of them wasn't helping any. All Leon could do was make sure she stayed happy and content and keep her safe. Claire, on the other hand, was nearly always beaming in happiness, although he guessed that it wasn't always what she was feeling on the inside. It probably hurt…the situation with her brother. To love another and lose them was much more painful than hating them and sticking beside them. He could see the pain in her eyes- the hope that came that shouldn't, that would die down if Katarine and Richard didn't find any information on Chris.

It seemed like forever- the wait to get food and eat it. The silence between all of them was hurting them more than his shoulder wound was aching him. So they inhaled their food like the it was the first meal they'd had in ages as it was, and Leon paid the waitress before leaving onto the street again. The hunt for a motel wasn't hard- there was only one in Subtle Ridge- across from the diner they were eating at. Next, they'd be able to sleep. Sleep and not have to wake up or worry about protecting anyone. They'd rest to their hearts' desire.

"You mean to tell me that you don't have any rooms left…?" Leon retorted to the motel manager at the front desk. "You've got to be kidding me! Just put us in the lobby, for God's sake! We just want to sleep!"

"…Leon…" Claire attempted to calm, but failed miserably. She sat next to Sherry with a sigh, leaning on her hand. Leon sure could be loud when he wanted to be, or mad, rather. He wanted a room…so did she. It was true that they wanted the comfort of sleeping somewhere without worry, but…yelling wasn't the answer, was it? Maybe he'd grown up in a family where yelling was acceptable…it wasn't that Claire didn't, but the occasion never arose with her brother. They'd pretty much always gotten along. 

"Mr. Kennedy, I strongly insist that you cease your prater, lest you'd prefer receiving your credit card in halves," the manager explained calmly, toting Leon's credit card in one hand and a pair of scissors in the other. This only perturbed Leon more. Not only was he refusing to give them a room, but the guy had the guts to snip Leon's card! So Leon decided to do as instructed and calm down, taking in a deep breath before starting again.

"Okay…listen…we have been on a long trip, and we're all really really tired. You know…like really really tired. So please- it doesn't matter how big the room is, just as long as you give us one," whined Leon, scratching the back of his head in irritation. He hated begging; it was never his strong suit. He more preferred beating answers and what he wanted out of people. This just really wasn't his style, obviously. But, hell, if it worked, then it worked. 

"The only room we have has one bed."

"That's great! No worries, we'll deal-"

"It's against fire code."

"Screw fire code! Listen…charge me an extra fifty bucks and pocket it, okay? Really- we just want a room, no matter how small it is."

"It looks like a closet."

"How are we all supposed to fit in here?"

"Is this food?"

"Put that down!"

"What a mess I've gotten us into…"

(Okay, that's it for me today. If y'all like it, go ahead and review and I'll try to get the next chapter up. If not…well, I won't bust myself to do it. Go ahead, R/R- I love y'all! ^^ )


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